1. Field of the Invention
In general, the invention relates to methods for making seating from pressure vessels, such as propane tanks, and to seating made with such pressure vessels.
2. Description of Related Art
The present inventor, Colin Selig, has made metal seating from discarded propane tanks. Designed to store gas under high pressure, these tanks are typically made of ¼ inch or thicker plate steel, and have a generally cylindrical body with welded hemispherical ends.
In the existing Selig manufacturing process, the metal from these discarded tanks is carefully dissected, and the curved and hemispherical parts are reassembled into a seat without any additional forming or shaping of the metal. In a typical process, a discarded propane tank with a volume of about 250 U.S. gallons and a diameter of about 30 inches is used as the starting material.
Existing Selig propane tank furniture designs include those disclosed and claimed in U.S. Design Pat. Nos. D683,146, D683,147, and D683,148, the contents of all of which are incorporated by reference in their entireties. The pieces of furniture disclosed in these patents have been manufactured by hand using ad hoc processes to cut and join the cut sections of propane tank. These manufacturing processes were experimental, inaccurate and made it difficult to make pieces of furniture with consistent shapes, proportions, and other characteristics.